The business community voluntarily shut down markets yesterday to mourn the ghastly massacre in Peshawar.
“I can claim with authority that entire Punjab along with other major cities was completely shut,” said All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajiran Chairman Abdul Razzak Babbar.
He said that harldy any member had cared about his loss while keeping business closed on the call of Anjuman-e-Tajiran, whereas many traders pulled down their shutters on their own in protest. “Trade loss does not hold any significance over precious innocent lives.”
Atiq Mir, Chairman of All Karachi Tajir Itehad (AKTI), offered a different view, saying Karachi “was not completely closed”.
He estimated an overall loss of over Rs10 billion due to partial closure of shops in various parts of the country. Karachi’s share was around Rs3bn-Rs4bn, he said.
In Karachi, he said, more than 40 per cent of wholesale trade remained paralysed, while retail markets of various items recorded only 50pc trading activities as wary customers stayed at home despite availability of CNG, petrol and public transport. He said traders closed down their shops on their own.
Meanwhile, the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) yesterday organised a candlelit vigil, attended by businessmen and industrialists, against the massacre.
